Driven By The Passion To Ride An Exclusive Interview With The 3 Chakra Riders

The 3 pillars of 3 Chakra Riders - Shankar Jaikishan, Dilip Murlidharan and Veera Mallu, have come together to achieve a common motive, and that is to ride hard and to set an example that disability is not a hurdle. As we carry on with the interview you will get a picture of where the differently abled community stands today in India, as the three come from a fairly middle-class background and have set out to achieve the impossible. Read on to find out!

ZigWheels - Before we get into the details, tell us more about the 3 Chakra Riders and how it came into being?

Murlidharan - At one point, after we gathered we were just talking about cars and bikes in general and we started discussing the limitations on scooters for disabled people wherein all we have is a Scooty and an Activa and that’s about it. This discussion was at the same time when Honda introduced the PCX 150 across most Asian countries, so we started discussing as to what all can be done when the performance scooter comes into the country, and then the ideas just started to build up from there. So basically, the idea of modifying performance bikes with automated hand-gear controls and hand brakes is Shankar’s, because he had already done it.

ZigWheels - What inspired you to take up the noble cause?

Jaikishan - I am a full-time worker in the Indian Railways, in the signal department. My childhood friend is differently abled and the only way he can move is by crawling. He is also intelligent but despite having the potential, he is unable to perform. Now, we have been friends for almost 22 years and it is during this period that I learnt so much about disability. I realised that disability is not a problem, it is mobility. And it is due to mobility that people are unable to project their talent within the society. So I decided to put together a bike for him and that is where this journey kicked off.

ZigWheels - What were the challenges faced in making a differently abled vehicle?

Jaikishan - Initially, my focus was not to make a workshop and turn this into a business of sorts -- at that time I just wanted to help out my friend. So I visited numerous workshops with my ideas but no one was willing to take up the extensive customization because that again is the most challenging bit as customization differs from bike to bike based on the physical condition of the rider.

Another challenge I faced is with fabrication as certain operations can be fabricated and some cannot be. So, before customizing I had to first study the market availability of vehicle and parts and then study the person’s disability.

ZigWheels - Did you receive any help from the government toward your initiative? What were the challenges faced?

Jaikishan - My workshop is certified by the Tamil Nadu RTO division as an authorized workshop for vehicle modification. Initially, the RTO would reject any sort of paperwork we submit in order to help the differently abled. As a result, we had to fight our way out with the RTO and the commissioner in order to gain some ground. Today the RTO officials help us out in every possible manner but still show a bit of concern before issuing licenses to us. So after much struggle for the last 6 months, Veera is the first differently abled person to hold a licence to ride even a superbike.

ZigWheels - We understand that the cost of such modifications differs from rider to rider, but on an average, what are the costs that one has to shell out to avail such mobility?

Jaikishan - Customization is a costly affair. But then again I am here to help out the ones who are extremely tight on budget. So on an average, we charge around Rs 30,000 for such modifications.

In case of a client who has more money I outsource some of the work and get the job done faster. Otherwise, everything including machining, casting, welding and fabrication is done by me in order to cut down the prices.

ZigWheels - So what are your future plans towards business expansion?

Jaikishan - I have even submitted my voluntary retirement and will be getting Rs 20 lakh after it. I have purchased a small piece of land on which I will set up a new workshop so that even after my demise, this workshop continues to run in good condition.

ZigWheels - Now since the business is flourishing and people are happy with the quality of work and service, are you looking at expanding into different cities?

Jaikishan - I am but then it depends on the person -- if they are looking at exploiting people with this business then they aren’t the ideal people to reach out to.

I am looking at expanding in the coming year itself and we are looking to tap into Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and the Orissa. We will also be providing these dealerships with the necessary training.

ZigWheels - What all rides have you undertaken as a group?

Mallu - We have ridden to Tirumala hills from Chennai, and to Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry. We have also done Chennai to Bengaluru and back in one day. In fact, our ride to Goa from Chennai is the most adventurous ride I have ever had and it’s a dream come true for us.

ZigWheels - We are quite blown away by the feat that you as a group have achieved in terms of riding. Are you planning for longer rides?

Jaikishan - Last year I took a differently abled friend from Kanyakumari to Khardungla Pass in order to scout the route for us to ride down as a group, and on 3rd June 2018 we are commencing a journey from Kanyakumari on our KTM Duke 200 motorcycles and riding to Khardungla Pass.

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ZigWheels - As you mentioned earlier, you came to IBW with a purpose. Can you share your motive with us as well?

Jaikishan - Yes, the most important aspect of us coming to this event is to inform people that no financier gives a loan to a bike that is set to register as an invalid carriage. A lot of government regulations come in the way of accessibility, due to which we risked our investment to buy the KTMs. Regulations are supposed to enable accessibility and not hinder it. The reason why any government implement regulations in any business is because we want to standardize and give equal access to everybody. But regulations do not work for disabled people, because as per a government order two-wheeler modification isn’t allowed in the state of Tamil Nadu. Now, this might seem to be a very harmless G.O. But as a result of this, invalid carriage RC books and licences weren’t issued to the disabled for almost a decade in fact. It’s only about 5 years now that they have standardized the issuance for invalid carriages since the earlier G.O. is expired.

I am not asking the government to issue licences to the disabled to ride bikes like the Hayabusa and the Yamaha R1. But the point is that as an average middle-class person if you had the money to go and buy a Duke 200 and ride it, and if there exists technology that people like Shankar can provide for me to access that bike, then regulations should not hamper my accessibility. That aside, on the larger front, the majority of us want access to a variety of scooters that are available. We want access to invalid carriages, not just on a Scooty and Activa, but the 150cc Vespa scooters as well.

There is no G.O. that says that physically challenged people cannot ride more than X amount of displacement vehicle. Our agenda of coming here and displaying our invalid carriages is that it’s not that we can’t do; it’s just that we aren’t allowed to.